Condominium ownership (PPE) in Switzerland

Definition and legal framework

Introduced into Swiss law in 1965, this regime combines two rights. The first is an exclusive right to use and fit out a unit: the flat, its interior partitions, its finishes. The second is a co-ownership quota in the land and the common parts — structure, roof, façades, stairwell, ground. The quota, expressed in thousandths, sets both the voting weight at the general meeting and the share of costs.

Operation rests on three instruments: the constitutive deed, which defines the units and quotas; the administration and use regulations; and the owners' meeting, which decides on works. The Civil Code grades the majorities according to the nature of the works — necessary, useful or purely aesthetic (articles 647c to 647e CC): renewing a roof is not decided like adding a lift.

What it changes for your parcel

The decisive point for any project: building rights attach to the parcel, hence to the community of owners — never to a single unit. An owner wanting to add a storey, convert the attic, enclose a balcony or build an annexe cannot decide alone, even where an index reserve exists. It takes a meeting resolution at the required majority, and often an amendment of the constitutive deed if the quotas shift.

The same applies to energy renovation: replacing the heating system, insulating the façade or installing solar panels affects common parts and belongs to the meeting. A parcel analysis remains relevant under this regime — it sizes the whole building's potential and the binding constraints — but acting on it is collective, which changes the timeline as much as the budget.

How to obtain it

The regime is recorded in the land register, which shows the units, their quotas and the constitutive deed. To assess a project, gather three documents: the constitutive deed, the administration and use regulations, and recent minutes of the owners' meetings — they reveal the state of the renovation fund and the decisions already taken.